3 Flowering Annuals You Can Grow From Seeds

Gardening can often be daunting, especially for someone who’s been let down, say, one or two times already by fruits that never sprouted or flowers that never sprung.

But hey, no guts no glory, right? Why don’t you take out those dusty tools and give flower gardening another try?

This time, try your knack with this list of resilient, beginner-friendly flowering annuals that will surely give you less hassle but will add more color to your surroundings all year round. Grow them from seeds, which not only builds up the excitement but is more pocket-friendly, too!

Snapdragons

via Pixabay

Snapdragons appear as long, cone-like brightly colored flowers. These beauts come in almost all colors, except blue.

If you wish to grow snapdragons in your own flower garden using seeds, sow them indoors in vermiculite soil for about six to eight weeks before the last frost. Germination will take roughly 10 to 20 days. Transfer seedlings outdoors after the last frost.

Snapdragons can grow up to 36 inches in height, so allow for at least 6 to 8 inches apart in spacing to give each plant ample room to grow and for better air circulation.

Marigolds

via Pixabay

These gorgeous annual flowering plants usher in a happy dose of sunshine with petals in different shades of gold, copper, and orange. Marigolds have an uncanny resemblance to daisies and carnations.

The beauty about marigolds is that they also act as natural insect repellents against mosquitoes and other nasty bugs. They’re also a favorite among both farmers and gardeners, marigolds also thwart any threat from nematodes underneath the surface of the soil. 

Like snapdragons, prep and sow marigold seeds indoors at 1/8-deep soil around 50 to 60 days before the last frost date. Scatter the marigold mix in a pot filled with potting mix or vermiculite. Typically, it’ll take marigolds about three to four days to germinate and sprout shoots, although there’s no need to worry if yours take longer. Once you spot two true leaves, this means your marigolds are ready to be transplanted outdoors.

Sunflowers

via Pexels

Sunflowers didn’t only get their name because of their looks, but because they are in fact sun-loving flowers after all.  These big yellow flowers display a natural plant behavior called heliotropism, which to put simply is the growth or movement of plants in response to sunlight. Sunflowers literally track the rising and setting of the sun, facing east in the morning and west come dawn.

Find out why sunflowers follow the sun.

Unlike the first two items, sunflowers can be planted outdoors directly. Just make sure spring frost has passed and that the soil temperature has reached 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Because sunflowers grow big and tall up to 30 feet, give each plant plenty of room, with rows 30 inches apart.

Make sure you plant your sunflowers that gets soaked up in direct sunlight for about six to eight hours a day and that your soil is nutrient-dense, since these yellow blooms are always hungry. To be sure, you can give it fertilizer.